Ways Melbourne is better now than 10 years ago

In 2020, the state government announced it was building a whopping 24 more parks and off-leash dog areas across South Melbourne, St Kilda, Bentleigh, Moorabbin, Brunswick, Caulfield South, Flemington, Sunshine West, Ivanhoe, Preston, Oakleigh, Prahran, Collingwood and Yarraville. The off-leash dog parks will be built in Cairnlea, Cranbourne East, Mickleham, Carrum, Rowville, Eltham North, Maribyrnong, Werribee and South Yarra. That's a lot more green spaces!

Melbourne is trialling 1,500 e-scooters throughout Melbourne, Yarra and Port Phillip for one year. Should the trial be successful, the program will be expanded. The new low-emission e-scooters can travel up to 20km per hour and can be accessed via the Lime and Neuron apps, similar to how you might hire a Lime e-bike. The vehicles can be used in bike lanes, shared paths and low-speed roads but not on footpaths – riders also must wear a helmet while riding and give way to pedestrians on shared paths. 

Melbourne is famous for its colourful walls, with street art found in every corner of the city and suburbs. These are changing all the time, and formerly boring walls are constantly being turned into colourful expressions of artistic talent. These are some of our favourite spots, or just keep your eyes peeled for brilliant art on every corner.

Remember ten years ago, when our clothes and hair always reeked after a night at a beer garden? Smoking is now banned in all outdoor dining spaces, as well as in public spaces like Bourke Street Mall, QV Melbourne, the Causeway, Goldsbrough Lane, Howey Place, Equitable Place, Block Place, Collins Way, Fulham Place, the Tan and the Princes Park running track. Breathe deeply. 

Yes, replacement buses are annoying, but all those replacement bus trips were worth it, as the state government has buried or elevated more than 25 train stations, meaning no more dangerous and very irritating level crossings.

You don't have to be a Lycra-wearing, Tour de France die-hard to enjoy a bike ride around Melbourne, with the city boasting lots of trails frequented by both serious and recreational bike riders. The city has far more bike paths than it did ten years ago, and there are even more in the works. Saddle up!

There are loads of green pockets throughout Melbourne just perfect for a picnic. After Melbourne's lockdowns, picnics were among the first things permitted, and we really started to embrace eating outside. After all, there's just something about eating outdoors that makes food taste that much better.

Local governments and Melbourne venues are making sustainability a priority, reducing waste, reusing what they can and recycling more than ever. Venues like Ends and Means are taking it to the next level, reusing melted ice to water the courtyard plants and using only reusable coasters. We're more conscious of our environment than ever – and we're finally taking action.

Drinking on a rooftop is at least 20 per cent more fun than drinking at street level. Ten years ago we were all about dark, underground bars – and don't get us wrong, secret, speakeasy vibes are still near and dear to our hearts. But with venues like Heroes, Good Heavens and Johnny's Green Room opening in the past ten years, Melburnians have finally emerged into the sunlight, Aperol Spritz in hand. We're still wearing all black, but we're doing it in the sunshine, damnit.

Everyone grumbled when Public Transport Victoria swapped beloved (???) Metcards for that odious black piece of plastic, the Myki. Why couldn't you top it up on the damn tram? But technology has finally caught up, and now you don't need a physical Myki at all. You can get a virtual Myki on Google Pay or Apple Pay, set it to auto top-up with either Myki Pass or Myki Money, and never worry about being caught short again.

Soccer might be the world game, but there is something special about a sport that is native to your own country. The Irish have Gaelic football, the Bangladeshis have Kabbadi, and Aussie Rules football is our proud contribution to the competitive team sport canon. And we finally have a women's competition in Melbourne, with more teams added every year.

The Princess, Regent and Forum have all had huge renovations in the past ten years, and the results are jaw-dropping gorgeous. We loved going to the theatre a decade ago, but now it's even more special.